Aerated O/W emulsions are commonly used as toppings and fillings for various kinds of cakes and pies, as well as for a variety of other foodstuffs. Aerated O/W emulsion are usually prepared by introducing air or other gas into an aeratable O/W emulsion with fluid characteristics. The aeratable O/W emulsion typically comprises water, liquid oil, solid fat, sugars and protein. Typically the air/gas is mechanically mixed (e.g. whipped) into the emulsion in a manner that creates a dispersion of very fine gas bubbles. These bubbles have to be stabilized in order to allow the O/W emulsion to form a voluminous foam upon aeration and further to prevent the foam from collapsing.
Aeration and the introduction of air/gas initially destabilize O/W emulsions, because agitation favors the coalescence of fat globules. Aeration of creams yields a foam that comprises a continuous aqueous phase, dispersed gas bubbles and partially coalesced fat globules. In aerated creams the air-water interface is stabilized by partially coalesced fat globules that are held together by fat crystals.
During aeration of creams partial coalescence of fat globules and association with fat crystals yields a rigid network in which air bubbles as well as liquid (water phase and oil phase) are entrapped. This network also prevents further coalescence of the fat globules into bigger fat globules that are no longer capable of structure-building and that would cause the foam to collapse. Fat crystals break and penetrate the interfacial layer around the fat globules in the emulsion, allowing fat globules to clump together into the network.
Coalescence of fat globules during and after aeration is influenced by the type and amount of emulsifier in the O/W emulsion. Proteins, for example, can reduce the susceptibility of fat globules to coalesce by forming a layer around the fat globules, which increases the repulsive forces and the resistance to penetration of the fat globules by fat crystals.
In many aeratable O/W emulsions the presence of solid fat is a crucial factor for stabilization of the aerated emulsions. This is evident from the fact that aearated emulsions that are stabilized by solid fat, such as whipped cream, quickly collapse when the solid fat contained therein is melted by temperature increase.
Non-dairy toppings are a widely-used substitute to dairy toppings. Industrial bakers and patissiers use these non-dairy alternatives because of their superior stability, making them ideal for decoration, coverings and fillings.
WO 98/31236 describes non-dairy whipped toppings comprising a temperature stabilizing effective amount of a non-tropical lauric oil. The patent examples describe whipped toppings that contain as the main components water (52.18 wt. %), oil (23.24 wt. %), high fructose corn syrup (24.18 wt. %), and 0.30 wt. % hydroxypropyl methylcellulose.
WO 2002/019840 describes non-dairy whipped toppings having enhanced temperature stability and good organoleptic properties. These whipped toppings contain as the main components water (20.3 wt. %) oil (24.2 wt. %), high fructose corn syrup (52.0 wt. %) and sodium caseinate (1.25 wt. %).
Cyclodextrins are a family of cyclic oligosaccharides that are produced from starch by means of enzymatic conversion. Cyclodextrins are composed of 5 or more α-(1,4) linked D-glucopyranoside units, as in amylose (a fragment of starch). Typical cyclodextrins contain a number of glucose monomers ranging from six to eight units in a ring, creating a cone shape:                α (alpha)-cyclodextrin: 6-membered sugar ring molecule        β (beta)-cyclodextrin: 7-membered sugar ring molecule        γ (gamma)-cyclodextrin: 8-membered sugar ring molecule        
Because cyclodextrins have a hydrophobic inside and a hydrophilic outside, they can form complexes with hydrophobic compounds. Thus they can enhance the solubility and bioavailability of such compounds. This is of high interest for pharmaceutical as well as dietary supplement applications in which hydrophobic compounds shall be delivered. Alpha-, beta-, and gamma-cyclodextrin are all generally recognized as safe by the FDA.
The application of cyclodextrins in aerated oil-in-water emulsions has been described in patent publications.
US 2007/0003681 describes aerated food compositions containing protein, oil and cyclodextrin. The cyclodextrin is said to enable generation of a more stable and greater overrun protein-stabilized foam in the presence of liquid oils as compared to oil-containing food products lacking the cyclodextrin. The patent examples describe an ice cream containing skim milk (56.1 wt. %), canola oil (19.6 wt. %), sugar (17.4 wt. %), alpha cyclodextrin (6.5 wt. %) and vanilla extract (0.4 wt. %).
US 2008/0069924 describes a gasified food product comprising an alpha-cyclodextrin-gas clathrate. Food products mentioned in the US patent application are a dry mix, a liquid solution, a dough, a batter, a baked product, a ready-to-eat product, a ready-to-heat product, a liquid concentrate, a beverage, a frozen beverage, and a frozen product.
WO 2013/075939 describes aerated carbohydrate rich food compositions containing cyclodextrin. Examples 1-8 describe whipped apple sauces containing apple sauce, alpha-cyclodextrin (7 or 10 wt. %), vegetable oil (10 wt. %). Examples 32 and 33 describe whipped chocolate syrups containing chocolate syrup, soy oil (10 wt. %) and alpha-cyclodextrin (7.0 wt. %).
Although, as explained before, non-dairy whipped toppings are more stable than their dairy counterparts, there is a need for whipped toppings that are more stable than those currently available on the market. In particular, there is a need for whipped toppings that can be stored for several days under ambient or refrigerated conditions without significant loss of quality.